Drug Use Among U.S. Workers:   Prevalence & Trends by Occupation and Industry

Chapter 6:   Employee Drug Testing by Occupation and Industry

Recent years have seen the increasing use of drug testing by companies concerned with employee drug use. Important issues are whether drug testing deters employee drug use, and whether drug testing programs are reaching those occupations and industries with a high percentage of illicit drug users.⁴ The NHSDA has asked a question about mandatory drug testing since 1991, and by comparing the results of this question to those about current illicit drug use, preliminary evidence that might help resolve these issues can be developed.

Table 6.1 and table 6.2 present the estimated percentage of full-time workers in each occupation or industry category who reported having participated in a mandatory drug test during the previous year. The estimated percentage of workers currently using illicit drugs in each occupation and industry category is also provided.

Overall, almost 13 percent of full-time workers reported participation in a drug test in the previous year. The occupations in which the largest percentage of workers reported participation were Truck Drivers, Other Transportation Drivers, Police, Correctional Officers, and Fire Fighters, Handlers and Helpers, and Electrical and Electronic Repairers. The lowest percentage was reported by Entertainers and Writers, Lawyers and Judges, and Teachers. The industries in which the highest percentage of workers reported participation in drug testing included Transportation, Utilities and Sanitary, Groceries, and Public Order.

It is interesting to note that workers from some occupations and related industries with the highest rates of illicit drug use, namely Food Preparation and Servers and Writers and Entertainers, also reported relatively low rates of participation in mandatory drug testing programs.

Table 6.1 Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Participation in a Mandatory Employer Drug Test in the Past 12 Months and Current Illicit Drug Use, by Revised Occupation Categories, 1991-1993
Occupation Category	Mandatory Drug Test Current Illicit Drug Use
Total		12.7	7.3
Financial Managers (007,025)		8.4	4.6
Accountants, Auditors, Underwriters, Actuaries & Bookkeepers (23-24,66,337)		4.5	3.8
Executive Managers (3-6,8-19)		7.5	5.6
Other Management-Related Occupations (26-37)		5.7	6.8
Architects, Engineers & Engineering Technicians (43-63,213-218)		15.4	4.9
Physicians, Dentists, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Physicians' Assistants, Dieticians, Pharmacists, Dental Hygienists, Radiological Technicians & Therapists (84-85,87-89,97-106,204,206)		7.7	4.0
Clinical Laboratory & Technologists, Health Record Technologists & Technicians (203,205,208)		9.7	3.9
Nurses (95,207)		10.6	3.6
Nurses Aides, Dental Assistants & Health Aides (445-447)		11.5	6.8
Scientists, Science Technicians & Social Scientists (67-83,96,166,168-169,173,223-225)		14.8	5.1
Teachers, Librarians & Teachers' Aides (113-159,164,387)		3.1	2.2
Social Workers & Psychologists (167,174)		5.9	7.0
Lawyers, Judges & Legal Assistants (178-179,234)		2.4	7.2
Computer Analysts & Programmers (64-65,229)		6.8	*

Table 6.1 (continued) Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Ages 18-49, Reporting Participation in a Mandatory Employer Drug Test in the Past 12 Months and Current Illicit Drug Use, by Revised Occupation Categories, 1991-1993
Occupation Category	Mandatory Drug Test Current Illicit Drug Use
Writers, Artists, Photographers, Entertainers, Athletes, Designers (183,185-194,198-199)		2.9	15.7
Other Professional & Technicians (163,165,175-177,184,195,197,226-227,233,235,308-309)		12.5	6.0
Sales Occupations (243-274,277,285)		10.6	7.7
Sales Clerks & Cashiers (275-276)		9.7	8.1
Supervisors, Administrative Support (303-307,389)		7.2	4.2
Secretaries, Typists, Stenographers (313-315)		7.1	5.4
Records Processing Clerks (325-336,338-344,384-386)		6.7	2.5
Duplicating, Mail Clerks & Dispatchers (345-374)		13.4	7.0
Information Clerks & General Office Clerks (316-323,379)		14.0	5.2
Adjusters & Investigators (375-378)		8.4	8.3
Police, Detectives, Sheriffs, Correctional Officers, Fire Fighters & Guards (413-427)		26.6	3.2
Food Preparation, Waiters, Waitresses & Bartenders (433-444)		7.6	16.5
Cleaning & Building Services (407,448-453)		11.6	11.5
Child Care Workers (406,468)		6.3	2.6
Miscellaneous Personal Services (403-405,454-467,469)		12.5	7.7
Farming, Fishing & Forestry (473-499)		6.9	8.0
Mechanics & Vehicle Repairers (503-519)		16.1	8.8
Electrical & Electronic Repairers, Other Mechanics & Repairers (523-549)		19.5	9.1
Construction Trades (553-599)		16.2	14.4
Precision Production Occupations (633-699)		12.8	8.1
Machine Operators (703-779)		17.9	7.5
Fabricators, Assemblers & Hand Working Occupations (783-799)		18.8	8.3
Truck Drivers (804-806)		49.9	7.2
Other Transportation Drivers (803,808-859)		33.1	7.1
Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Helpers, Laborers & Extractive Occupations (613-617,863-889)		20.1	11.4
Occupation Not Reported or Not Elsewhere Classified (896-999)		12.9	7.2

Note: Standard occupation codes appear in parentheses. See Table 3.7 for sample sizes, estimated population sizes, percent female, and average age of workers associated with each category. The question upon which the mandatory drug test data are based is: "During the past 12 months, have you been required by your employer to take a drug test?"

* Low precision; no estimate reported.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1991-1993.

Note: Standard industry codes appear in parentheses. See Table 3.8 for sample sizes, estimated population sizes, percent female, and average age of workers associated with each category. The question upon which the mandatory drug test data are based is: "During the past 12 months, have you been required by your employer to take a drug test?"

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1991-1993.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.